Elbow injury could end Oviedo's season before it starts

The Marlins are preparing for the chance that reliever Juan Carlos Oviedo will not pitch this year.

"This is not looking good for him to pitch for us this year," baseball operations president Larry Beinfest said Tuesday before the Marlins' game against the Cubs. "He was definitely in the plan. We anticipated him pitching for us. But right now we have to move ahead with the thought that he is not going to."

Oviedo was supposed to return from an eight-week suspension on July 23, but he was shut down Saturday because of a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

"JC has always had that kind of ... I don't know if you want to say a rubber arm but it has always been so resilient. He has had basically zero arm problems since we've had him, which is three-plus years. Always ready to pitch. Always in good shape," Beinfest said.

"This was an acute event. I don't think anything leading up to it contributed to it at all. I feel terrible for him. I think he handled his mistake well and I feel bad for us and we're not at least in the short term and maybe not at all going to have production from him. It's a sad situation all the way around."

Oviedo notched 92 saves in 117 chances for the Marlins from 2009 to 2011. The Marlins were hoping he could be an option in case Heath Bell doesn't regain the closer's job full-time.

-----------------------------------------------

MLB Team Report - Miami Marlins - NOTES, QUOTES

--1B Carlos Lee hit his 17th career grand slam Tuesday night in Miami's 9-5 win over the Cubs. Lee has 39 career homers against the Cubs, the most he has against any one team.

Lee said he had no explanation for his 17 career grand slams.

"If you go out there and try to hit home runs, I think you're going to fail 90 percent of the time or more," he said. "In that situation, less than two outs, honestly I make sure I don't hit the ball into the ground. Try to stay on the inside, get the ball in the air. At the worst, if I don't get it done, give the guy behind me a chance. That's all I try to do -- not to hit it on the ground."

--RHP Ryan Webb was optioned to Class AAA New Orleans after Tuesday's game to make room on the roster for RHP Edward Mujica, who will be reinstated Wednesday from the disabled list (broken right pinky toe).

--2B Omar Infante's two-run home run Tuesday night was his first homer since June 22. Infante, who has eight homers this year, was 1 for his last 16 when he connected off Cubs LHP Travis Wood in the fourth inning.

--RHP Heath Bell tossed a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday, his third straight scoreless appearances since he lost the closer's job to start the second half of the season.

--RHP Anibal Sanchez allowed one earned run in seven innings, striking out seven, in Miami's 9-5 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. It was Sanchez's first win since June 27 and his first road win since May 3 at San Francisco.

--Nationals rookie Bryce Harper didn't know it, but he autographed a bat that was later smeared with pine tar and sent to Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen as a joke by Washington players. "It was funny," said Guillen, who said Adam LaRoche, Mark DeRosa, Ian Desmond and Edwin Jackson were behind the prank.

"Those guys tried to make fun of me. I found out later they made the kid sign the bat. La Roche said, 'Can you sign this bat for me.' And they put the rest -- 'To my hero, Ozzie, I love you.' "

Guillen and Harper exchanged words Sunday when Guillen complained that the Nationals rookie used too much pine tar on his bat.

BY THE NUMBERS: 17 -- Career grand slams for Carlos Lee, who hit his latest Tuesday night. Lee is second behind Alex Rodriguez's 23 among active players with the most grand slams.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "He was definitely in the plan. We anticipated him pitching for us. But right now we have to move ahead with the thought that he is not going to." -- Marlins baseball operations president Larry Beinfest on RHP Juan Carlos Oviedo.

-----------------------------------------------

MLB Team Report - Miami Marlins - ROSTER REPORT

MEDICAL WATCH:

--RHP Edward Mujica (broken right pinkie toe) went on the 15-day disabled list June 30. He made a rehab appearance for Class A Jupiter on July 13. He made another appearance July 15 and was expected to be activated July 18.

--RHP Juan Carlos Oviedo (sprained right elbow) began pitching for Class A Jupiter on July 9. He was shut down because of elbow pain after facing three batters in a rehab game with Class AAA New Orleans on July 14, and an examination show that he has a sprained ulnar collateral ligament. Oviedo, served an eight-week suspension for identity fraud, is out indefinitely.

--RF Giancarlo Stanton (sore right knee) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 8. He underwent arthroscopic surgery July 8 and is out until early-to-mid August.

--RHP Sandy Rosario (strained right quadriceps) went on the 15-day disabled list June 16.

--RHP Jose Ceda (swollen right elbow) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 26, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on May 27. He underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery April 12.